J. C. Ryle John

JOHN 7:37-39
Teaching about the Spirit
On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, "If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says,
‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’" (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those
who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus
was not yet glorified.)
It has been said that there are some passages in Scripture which deserve to be printed in letters
of gold. Of such passages the verses before us form one. They contain one of those wide, full,
free invitations to mankind, which make the Gospel of Christ so eminently the "good news of
God." Let us see of what it consists.
We have, first, in these verses, a case supposed. The Lord Jesus says, "If any man thirst."
These words no doubt were meant to have a spiritual meaning. The thirst before us is of a
purely spiritual kind. It means anxiety of soul--conviction of sin--desire of pardon--longing after
peace of conscience. When a man feels his sins, and wants forgiveness--is deeply sensible of
his soul's need, and earnestly desires help and relief--then he is in that state of mind which our
Lord had in view, when he said, "If any man thirst." The Jews who heard Peter preach on the
day of Pentecost, and were "pierced in their hearts,"--the Philippian jailer who cried to Paul and
Silas, "What must I do to be saved?" are both examples of what the expression means. In both
cases there was "thirst."
Such thirst as this, unhappily, is known by few. All ought to feel it, and all would feel it if they
were wise. Sinful, mortal, dying creatures as we all are, with souls that will one day be judged
and spend eternity in heaven or hell, there lives not the man or woman on earth who ought not
to "thirst" after salvation. And yet the many thirst after everything almost except salvation.
Money, pleasure, honor, rank, self-indulgence--these are the things which they desire. There is
no clearer proof of the fall of man, and the utter corruption of human nature, than the careless
indifference of most people about their souls. No wonder the Bible calls the natural man "blind,"
and "asleep," and "dead," when so few can be found who are awake, alive, and athirst about
salvation.
Happy are those who know something by experience of spiritual "thirst." The beginning of all
true Christianity is to discover that we are guilty, empty, needy sinners. Until we know that we
are lost, we are not in the way to be saved. The very first step toward heaven is to be thoroughly
convinced that we deserve hell. That sense of sin which sometimes alarms a man and makes
him think his own case desperate, is a good sign. It is in fact a symptom of spiritual
life--"Blessed indeed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be
filled." (Matt. 5:6.)
We have, secondly, in these verses, a remedy proposed. The Lord Jesus says, "If any man
thirst, let him come unto me and drink." He declares that He is the true fountain of life, the
supplier of all spiritual necessities, the reliever of all spiritual needs. He invites all who feel the
burden of sin heavy, to apply to Him, and proclaims Himself their helper.
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